I had a message this week from someone going through breast cancer at the moment who said my blog is helping them through the ordeal. I am so glad my ramblings are of some use, and if it helps even one person through the treatments, thats great.
The person who messaged wanted to know how radiotherapy affected me, and what, if any, side effects I suffered so I thought I would write about it here.
I had 15 days straight of radiotherapy, slap bang in the middle of my chemo! Not the best idea, but at least it got it over and done with. I found it tiring, but then I was already tired with the effects of chemotherapy, so how tiring I would have found it on its own I am not sure.
The initial visit was a long one, I had to be measured and lined up as to where the laser beam would have to go and so I was moved up and down, side to side, very slightly, so that they got the exact position. I had some tattoes done to enable the radiographer to know where to aim the laser which stung a bit but are not really visible unless you hunt around for them. The visits to actually have the treatment took longer in the waiting room than in the treatment room! Sometimes I would be waiting for an hour, go to the changing room and get myself ready, walk into the treatment room, lie on the table, the huge machine would be moved in to place, the radiographer would leave but I could still hear them speaking to me, the machine would make a whinning noise and red beams would shine across my body. The radiographer would return, reposition the machine, and the whole thing would be done again. The whole process took 10, 15 minutes. I would get changed, make the appointment for the next time, and leave, thankful to be out of the hospital which is always too warm! No pain, nothing to worry about.
At first it was fine, its not as though it hurts or anything, but about half way through I had some sunburnt kind of effects on the skin below my breast, it just looked as though I was tanned. My problems began when the area developed blistering, probably because I am a larger lady and the skin tends to rub, but the blisters burst and the area was so sore it was hard to bear. I had to have dressings on the area for quite a time, weeks in fact, and eventually it did heal up, though the skin was fragile, thin and delicate. I had to pat to dry rather than rub, and under wire bras were out of the question. I used zinc and castor oil cream on the area, my doctor said it would build the skin layers and he was correct, so eventually I got better, but it did take a while. I have ehlers danlos hypermobility syndrome, so I do not know whether it was worse because of my sensitive skin, or whether other people have the problems I did. My oncologist did remark, when I saw him last week, that it was a common problem to have damage, but it is best to have the radiotherapy to make sure the cells are blasted! 7 years on I am still more comfortable wearing a soft bra, not underwired. I can wear underwire bras, and have done so, depending on the clothes I have on at the time, I just feel more comfortable without. I hope this helps anybody undergoing radiotherapy, take care of your skin, its very important. x
I have ehlers danlos hypermobilty syndrome, here is my blog about it.
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5411132973395355334#overview/src=dashboard
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